Lawrence Hospital Reaches Agreement with Blue Cross; LMH Health Will Remain in Network
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - State employees and other people who have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas health plans in Douglas County can stop stressing over whether the local hospital in Lawrence will be out of network next year. LMH Health will remain in the Blue Cross network. The state’s biggest private health insurer and LMH Health have long wrestled over reimbursement prices. The situation came to a head in late October, when LMH announced it might not be in the Blue Cross network for 2022. Thousands of University of Kansas employees, other state workers and state government retirees faced a looming open enrollment deadline to pick between Blue Cross and Aetna for the coming year. But Blue Cross and LMH finally struck a deal. The two sides announced Monday they had reached an agreement that would keep the Lawrence hospital in the Blue Cross network for the next three years. ( Read more in the Lawrence Journal-World.)
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Dennis Moore, Former Kansas Democratic Congressman, Dies at Age 75
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Democrat and former U.S. Representative Dennis Moore has died at the age of 75. He was a former prosecutor who represented a Kansas City-area district that previously had seemed safe for Republicans. The former congressman’s wife said he died of cancer Tuesday, and he also had Alzheimer’s for several years. Moore won the seat for the 3rd Congressional District in 1998 by unseating freshman conservative Republican Rep. Vince Snowbarger. The GOP had held the seat since 1961 but Moore had previously shown that he could attract votes from moderate Republicans and independents in winning three terms as Johnson County district attorney. Moore did not seek reelection in 2010.
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Man Indicted for Taking Controlled Substances from Kansas Hospital
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) - A registered nurse has been indicted for stealing powerful drugs from Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park. A federal grand jury in Kansas indicted 30-year-old Alec Ramirez, of Overland Park, on two counts of tampering with a consumer product, one count of possession of fentanyl by deception and one count of possession of hydromorphone by deception. Prosecutors say that in March 2021, Ramirez removed vials of fentanyl and hydromorphone from a cabinet at Menorah Medical Center and replaced the drugs with an alternate liquid and returned the vials to the cabinet. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Politicized School Board Races Face Election Test
MISSION, Kan. (AP/KPR) — It's a local Election Day in many places, including Kansas. School board races have become the new front in a culture war raging across the nation as concerns over COVID-19 restrictions and controversial curriculum reach a boiling point. On Tuesday, voters weigh in on dozens of races that have been dominated by debates over masks, vaccines, race and history. The outcomes will decide not just districts’ policies but also whether the education fight has staying power as part of the national discourse and becomes a rallying issue for Republicans in the 2022 midterms. The political tracking website Ballotpedia has identified 76 school districts in 22 states where candidates took a stance on race in education or critical race theory.
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Kansas Lawmaker Charged with Battery, Mental Exam Ordered
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A judge says a freshman Kansas lawmaker, who has acknowledged past abuses against girls and young women, must undergo a mental health evaluation after he was arrested over the weekend on charges of domestic battery. The charges against Democratic Representative Aaron Coleman, of Kansas City, stem from a disturbance involving his brother at his grandfather’s home Saturday night. On Monday, magistrate judge James Phelan ordered Coleman to be released on a personal recognizance bond. The hearing was held via Zoom and Coleman didn’t appear because he is receiving medical care. No information has been released about his health status. Overland Park police arrested the 21-year-old Saturday night on suspicion of domestic battery.
(—Related—)
Women in Kansas House Want Charged Male Lawmaker to Resign
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Six women in the Kansas House and a former female member are calling on a male lawmaker to resign after being charged with domestic battery and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. The seven Democrats calling for Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman of Kansas City to step down also called on him to resign in December 2020. The 21-year-old Coleman faces the domestic battery charge in Johnson County over a Saturday night disturbance involving his brother at his grandfather’s home. Coleman’s attorney entered a not guilty plea Monday. A legislative committee reprimanded Coleman in February over accusations of abusive behavior toward girls and young women before he took office.
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Profanities Removed from Kansas Legislative Hearing Audio
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An official recording of a Kansas legislative hearing has been edited to remove profanity directed toward a journalist. The comments from Justin Spiehs came during testimony Saturday on COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Spiehs has held daily protests outside Lawrence school district buildings for months. During his testimony, he began criticizing Sherman Smith, editor in chief of the Kansas Reflector. The testimony was initially publicly available on the Legislature's live feed of the hearing but about 30 seconds including the profanities were later edited out. J.G. Scott, director of the Kansas Legislative Research Department, says the department is getting legal counseling on how to proceed with the audio.
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Kansas Sierra Club Report: Evergy Could and Should Close Coal-Fired Power Plants Earlier than Planned
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - A new report from an environmental advocacy group says the electric utility Evergy is moving too slowly to close coal-fired power plants. The group says closing the plants earlier would cut emissions and save customers hundreds of millions of dollars. The Kansas Sierra Club used a computer model that compares the cost of building new wind, solar and battery storage to the cost of operating a coal plant. When the renewable energy options can meet electricity demands and fall below the cost of operating the coal plant, the model says it’s time to shut coal down and replace it. The Sierra Club’s report says Evergy could replace all their coal plants as early as 2028. But Evergy spokesman Chuck Caisley says the company has to consider more than just cutting emissions. "It’s a time, affordability and reliability specifically question that we’ve got to deal with," he said. The report's lead author, John Romankiewicz, says their modeling shows there are plenty of affordable clean energy options available and Evergy doesn’t need to wait. "They can move up those dates if only they would use the latest modeling techniques and the latest renewable energy cost data," he said. Evergy says closing all coal plants before 2030 wouldn’t be feasible or cost effective, because it would require adding more natural gas generation. Evergy’s current plan calls for closing all its coal plants by 2039.
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Company that Dumped Private Records in Public Trash Is Fined
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A national company that dumped records in public trash cans without shredding it or removing personal information has agreed to pay a nearly $500,000 fine. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt sued SearchTec in 2017, alleging it disposed of documents containing clients' personal information in garbage bins around Topeka. The company, which has a satellite office in Kansas, manages business documents and generally performs searches for law firms, service companies and lenders. The lawsuit was settled last week, with SearchTec ordered to pay the fine and make changes in its business practices to comply with the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.
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Police: 3 Residents Die in Separate Apartments at Complex
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas City, Kansas, police say they are investigating the deaths of three people who lived in separate apartments at the same building. The two men and a woman were found dead at the Wyandotte Towers during the last two days. Police say the deaths are being investigated as homicides but they did not say how the residents died. Police spokeswoman Nancy Chartrand said officers found the first man dead on Monday. Building management notified police on Tuesday of the other two deaths. The Wyandotte Towers is a 15-story building with 302 units near downtown Kansas City, Kansas.
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Woman Who Drowned Son, Tried to Kill Second Child Sentenced
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 34-year-old woman who drowned one son and tried to suffocate a second child before she jumped off a bridge in Kansas City has been sentenced to life in prison. Aushena Warren was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty in August to second-degree murder and first-degree assault. Prosecutors say Warren drowned her 8-year-old son at the family home in June 2017 and tried to smother her 6-year-old son. She later jumped off the Kit Bond bridge in Kansas City but was rescued by fire department personnel. She left a note apologizing and blaming her actions on the family's financial situation.
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1 Man Killed, Another Critically Wounded in Wichita Shooting
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say one man died and another person was critically wounded in a shooting in north Wichita. Police say the shooting happened just before 5:30 pm Monday in an area several blocks east of the Little Arkansas River. Arriving officers entered an apartment, where they found a 20-year-old man with a gunshot wound who was not breathing. He was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead. A short time later, another person with a gunshot wound showed up at the hospital in a private vehicle. Police say that person was in critical but stable condition. Police believe they were both victims of the same shooting.
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4 Injured, 1 Critical, in Wichita Apartment Fire
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Fire officials say four people have been injured — one critically — in an overnight Wichita apartment fire. Firefighters were called around 3 am Monday to the Kingston Cove apartments and found flames coming from a complex building when they arrived. Firefighters say one person suffered critical injuries in the fire and was taken to an area hospital. Three other building occupants were treated at the scene for injuries. A second alarm was issued to summon dozens more firefighters to the complex to help extinguish the flames. Fire investigators have not yet released the cause of the fire, but say the most severely damaged area of the complex is in a building stairwell.
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Deere Workers Would Get Immediate 10% Raises Under New Offer
MOLINE, Ill. (AP) - Union workers at farm-equipment maker John Deere & Company would get wage increases of 10% if they ratify a tentative contract reached over the weekend. The upfront pay would be followed by 5% raises in the third and fifth years of the tentative contract. Terms of the deal were posted Sunday on the United Auto Workers website. The agreement next goes to a vote of union members. The deal would cover more than 10,000 Deere & Company workers in Iowa, Illinois and in Kansas.
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Three People Killed in Fiery Wreck in Kansas
EL DORADO, Kan. (AP) — Butler County authorities say three people died in a fiery crash over the weekend. The sheriff's department says the collision happened just before midnight Saturday on U.S. 54 east of El Dorado. When deputies arrived one of the cars was on fire and both occupants were dead. Their names have not been released. The driver of the second vehicle, 69-year-old James Larcum of Eureka, died at the scene. The sheriff's office says it appears the first vehicle crossed the center line of the highway and collided with Larcum's vehicle.
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Apparent Road Rage Clash Leads to Death of New York Woman
OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are looking for a commercial vehicle that hit and killed a woman from New York on a Kansas interstate during an apparent road rage confrontation. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 54-year-old Lori Anne Maxwell, of Gloversville, New York, died Friday night on Interstate 35 in Franklin County. The patrol says Maxwell and another driver were involved in a road rage confrontation for several miles before they both pulled over. Authorities say Maxwell got out of her vehicle and was trying to talk to the other driver when a passing commercial vehicle hit her and did not stop. Maxwell died at the scene.
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Wichita-Area Priest on Leave After Child Abuse Allegation
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita-area priest is on administrative leave after being accused of sexually abusing a child. The Catholic Diocese of Wichita announced Monday that Rev. Michael Schemm will be restricted from offering sacraments or preaching while the allegation is investigated. Bishop Carl Kemme made the decision after the Diocesan Review Board recommended it following an initial review of the allegations. The diocese did not provide information on where or when the alleged abuse occurred. Schemm had been the pastor at the Church of the Resurrection in Bel Aire. District Attorney Marc Bennett said the allegations go back more than 25 years.
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Jackson County, Missouri, Extends Mask Mandate as COVID Spread Remains High
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) - Although some county representatives argued for ending the face mask mandate immediately, the Jackson County (Missouri) Legislature voted 5-2 to extend the current mask mandate until November 22. KCUR Radio reports that on Monday, county legislators approved an extension of the countywide mask mandate - just minutes after rejecting a proposal to end the rule immediately. Supporters of the extension acknowledged the progress the county has made in slowing the spread of the virus, but they argued the threat required continued action. Jackson County’s case rate stands at 152 per 100,000 residents. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention currently rate community transmission in Jackson County as “high" — the most severe level of COVID risk. CDC recommendations call for everyone in high-risk counties to wear face masks in public, indoors settings. Under the mandate, which was previously scheduled to expire November 7, Jackson County requires universal masking in indoor public spaces for everyone ages 5 and older, regardless of vaccination status.
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Dozens Testify in Topeka Against COVID-19 Mandates
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Dozens of Kansans opposed to President Joe Biden’s proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate showed up at the Kansas Statehouse over the weekend to testify before state lawmakers who are looking for ways to get around the mandate. Mandate opponents jammed into a Statehouse hearing room to demand that Kansas lawmakers stop what they see as an abuse of federal power. Some cited their religious beliefs. Others the Constitution. But many based their arguments on inaccurate or misleading information. "COVID-19 is a globally coordinated terrorist attack on humanity," one person said. Another said, “There are babies dying within a couple of days of being born to mothers that got vaccinated.” State lawmakers can’t block the coming federal mandate. But Kansas Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a candidate for governor, has joined officials from other GOP-led states in taking the issue to court. Some Kansas legislators also testified over the weekend, including Senator Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson Republican. He became the latest lawmaker to reference Nazi Germany while denouncing the mandate and state campaigns that encourage Kansans to get vaccinated. "We've funded, with millions of dollars here in the state of Kansas, a propaganda campaign that runs on slogans such as 'it’s safe and effective.' Just this blitzkrieg of propaganda - pun intended," Steffen said. Blitzkrieg is a term given to military tactics used by the Nazis in World War II. During an earlier meeting, Republican Representative Brenda Landwhehr, of Wichita, compared the mandate to policies used by the Nazis to persecute Jews.
(AP version)
Kansas Vaccine Mandate Foes Rally; Holocaust Comment Decried
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Hundreds of people opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates have rallied at the Kansas Statehouse and pushed state lawmakers to quickly counter them. The rally kicked off ahead of a rare weekend legislative committee hearing on mandates from President Joe Biden that affect as many as 100 million Americans. The hearing gave dozens of mandate opponents a chance to vent their frustration and anger. A few critics have likened the mandates to the Holocaust that killed millions of Jews, including a Kansas machinists union leader. But the International machinists and aerospace workers union disavowed those comments and called the comparison offensive. Many speakers want legislators to convene a special session.
(-Related-)
19 States Sue Biden Administration over COVID Vaccine Rule
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Nineteen states are now suing to block President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors. One suit filed in Missouri on Friday includes that state as well as Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. A second suit filed in Georgia also includes Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia. Texas sued individually on Friday, while Florida filed a separate lawsuit Thursday. The lawsuits argue that the Biden administration overstepped its authority in requiring federal contractors to make their employees get the coronavirus vaccine. Biden has argued that sweeping vaccine mandates will help end the deadly pandemic.
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October Survey Shows Growth, but Scant Confidence in Economy
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new monthly survey of business leaders in nine Midwest and Plains states shows significant jumps in employment and inventories since September, but confidence in the economy over the next six month remained at a dismal low. The overall index for October of the Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions released Monday rose to 65.2 from September's 61.6. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth. But the survey's business confidence index, which looks ahead six months, failed to budge from 37 recorded in September. The monthly survey covers Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
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Police: Man Found Fatally Shot Inside Vehicle in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police say a man has died after being found with gunshot wounds inside a vehicle on a Kansas City street. Police say officers found the man Sunday night in a car on the eastern edge of the Blue Hills neighborhood. The man was taken to a hospital, where police say he died overnight. Police have not yet released the man's name. Detectives and forensics staff processed the scene for evidence and canvased the area for witnesses, but no arrests have been announced.
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Fraternity Events Able to Resume at University of Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - The University of Missouri has lifted a temporary suspension of fraternity events. The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life sent an email to the Interfraternity Council earlier this week saying activities such as new member education and social functions could resume on Friday. The events were halted last week after a member of Phi Gamma Delta was hospitalized with suspected alcohol poisoning. The student remained in critical condition Thursday. The Interfraternity Council said the office is conducting a review to ensure safety for all students, and all fraternity chapters are expected to participate. Missouri spokesman Christian Basi said he could not confirm any information in the email.
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U.S. Prisons Face Staff Shortages as Officers Quit Amid COVID
UNDATED, (AP) - The coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the labor market have pushed many prison staffing systems into crisis. Correction officers are retiring and quitting in droves, while states struggle to recruit new employees. In Texas, Lance Lowry quit after 20 years to become a long-haul trucker because he couldn't bear the job any longer. Staff shortages have long been a challenge for prison agencies, given the low pay and grueling nature of the work. And some prisons whose populations dropped during the pandemic have seen their numbers rise again, exacerbating the problem. Meanwhile, prisoners don't see family members and can't shower. Counseling and other programs have fallen away.
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Missouri Teams Push Ballot Measures to Allow Sports Betting
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri sports teams want voters to weigh in on whether to legalize sports betting in the state. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports nine ballot proposals on the issue were filed this week. The St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis City soccer club and Kansas City Royals are behind the push. Efforts to pass a law allowing sports betting have failed for years in Missouri's Legislature. So the teams want to take the issue directly to voters. In Missouri, proposals need a certain number of voter signatures to be put on the ballot. Proponents haven't started collecting signatures yet.
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K-State's Anudike-Uzomah a Surprising Sack Star
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State University defensive lineman Felix Anudike-Uzomah is coming off a huge game in a win over TCU. He appeared to have six sacks, which would have matched the Division I record for a single game. He was credited with four, which still matched a school record. Not bad for a player that just about nobody seemed to want coming out of high school in suburban Kansas City, Missouri. His coaches say he has worked hard to become a fearsome pass rusher.
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Steelers Trade Veteran LB Ingram to Chiefs for 2022 Pick
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded veteran outside linebacker Melvin Ingram to the Kansas City Chiefs for a sixth-round pick in the 2022 draft. The teams made the announcement hours before the NFL’s trade deadline. The move gives Kansas City’s struggling defense some much-needed help, though Ingram did sit out Pittsburgh’s win over Cleveland on Sunday with what the team called a groin injury. The 32-year-old Ingram spent the first nine years of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers before signing a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in July.
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Jets Acquire OL Duvernay-Tardif from Chiefs for TE Brown
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets added some depth to the offensive line, acquiring guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif from the Kansas City Chiefs for tight end Daniel Brown ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline. Duvernay-Tardif is a licensed medical doctor who opted out of last season to work on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19. He was active for the first time Monday night for the Chiefs’ 20-17 win over the New York Giants but didn’t play. The 30-year-old offensive lineman from Canada has played in 60 NFL games and was the starting right guard for Kansas City in its 31-20 victory over San Francisco in the Super Bowl during the 2019 season
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Kansas City Chiefs Escape NY Giants 20-17
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — There wasn't any one play that doomed the New York Giants against Kansas City on Monday night. There were about a dozen little ones. The interception by Daniel Jones when he was caught staring down his target. Two personal foul penalties by linebacker Tae Crowder in the fourth quarter. The wobbly punt from Riley Dixon that set up the Chiefs for the go-ahead field goal with just over a minute left. And the breakdowns that kept New York from mounting its own comeback. The result was a 20-17 loss that left the Giants ruing a major upset they let slip away. "It was mistakes we made, bad decisions — the turnover was a big deal. Third-down executing and keeping drives going, and just being more consistent with execution," Jones said. "I think we did some good things but ultimately it wasn't enough and wasn't consistent enough."
(Additional reporting...)
Harrison Butker Hits Late Go-Ahead Field Goal as the Chiefs Beats the Giants
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Harrison Butker hit a pair of fourth-quarter field goals, including the go-ahead 34-yarder with 1:07 left, and the Kansas City Chiefs scrambled their way to a 20-17 comeback win over the New York Giants. Patrick Mahomes threw for 275 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Chiefs. They overcame two more turnovers along with 12 penalties for more than 100 yards on a cold, wet night at Arrowhead Stadium. Daniel Jones had 222 yards passing with two touchdowns and a pick for the Giants. But he also was sacked three times, including twice after the Chiefs kicked off with just over a minute left in the game. Next up for the Chiefs: a visit from the Packers on Sunday.
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These area headlines are curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Kaye McIntyre and Tom Parkinson. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!